Two conductor wireline guided control and an hvac system employing the same

ABSTRACT

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a control unit, a central controller coupled to the control unit via a first two-conductor wireline structure, and a plurality of HVAC system components coupled to the central controller via a second two-conductor wireline structure. The central controller is configured to receive, via the first two-conductor wireline structure, control information corresponding to an enclosed space, generate control data, and transmit, via the first two-conductor wireline structure, the control data to at least one of the plurality of HVAC system components to regulate operations thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/933,248, filed on Nov. 5, 2015. U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/933,248 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/101,575, filed on Jan. 9, 2015. U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/933,248 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/101,575 are eachincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to heating, ventilation, and airconditioning (HVAC) systems and, more particularly, but not by way oflimitation, to electronic equipment control and communication betweenequipment in the HVAC system.

HISTORY OF RELATED ART

HVAC systems are used to regulate environmental conditions within anenclosed space. Typically, HVAC systems have a circulation fan thatpulls air from the enclosed space through ducts and pushes the air backinto the enclosed space through additional ducts after conditioning theair (e.g., heating, cooling, humidifying, or dehumidifying the air).

Some HVAC systems use four conductive wires, such as copper wires, forcommunicating control information. For example, HVAC systems withcommunicating controllers (e.g., thermostats) provide additionalinformation beyond just on-off control signals and currently require thefour wire control wiring. Using four wires for control wiring results incost increase.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes acontrol unit, a central controller coupled to the control unit via afirst two-conductor wireline structure, and a plurality of HVAC systemcomponents coupled to the central controller via a second two-conductorwireline structure. The central controller is configured to receive, viathe first two-conductor wireline structure, control informationcorresponding to an enclosed space, generate control data, and transmit,via the first two-conductor wireline structure, the control data to atleast one of the plurality of HVAC system components to regulateoperations thereof.

A method of controlling operations of at least one of a plurality ofcomponents of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)system. The method includes receiving, by a controller via a firsttwo-conductor wireline structure, control information corresponding toan enclosed space, the control information comprising at least one of atemperature within the enclosed space and a setpoint temperature withinthe enclosed space and determining, by the controller, a temperaturedifference between the temperature within the enclosed space and thesetpoint temperature within the enclosed space. Responsive to adetermination that the temperature difference between the temperaturewithin the enclosed space and the setpoint temperature within theenclosed space is greater than a predetermined acceptable range,generating, by the controller, control data and transmitting, by thecontroller via a second two-conductor wireline structure, the controldata to the at least one of the plurality components of the HVAC systemto regulate operations thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary system for communicating data;

FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary system for communicating data inaccordance with an alternate embodiment;

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary HVAC system for communicating data;

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary HVAC system for communicating data inaccordance with an alternate embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process for controlling operationsof HVAC system components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiment(s) of the invention will now be described more fully withreference to the accompanying Drawings. The invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiment(s) set forth herein. The invention should only beconsidered limited by the claims as they now exist and the equivalentsthereof.

Various options have been proposed for communicating data, in, forexample, HVAC systems. Nevertheless, transmitting data over regularpower wiring is limited to about 20 kilobits per second, which is tooslow for these applications. Modern applications require approximatelytwo to three times this rate. Wireless communication is also not asatisfactory choice due to wireless signal congestion and not having adirect line-of-sight path for control applications. As such, an improvedapproach to providing enhanced control data bandwidth is needed.Accordingly, exemplary embodiments provide a wireline structure andRadio Frequency (RF) wireline guided transmissions for communicatingdata in HVAC systems.

For purposes of the present disclosure, a wireline structure is definedas a structure having two electrical conductors that are employed totransport or conduct RF wireline guided transmissions, which providewireline electrical voltages and currents corresponding tocommunications for various components, also referred to as equipment, ofthe HVAC system. The RF wireline guided transmissions provide controlinformation, which is herein defined as including, for example, controlcommands and measurement data.

The exemplary wireline guided structure provides reliable, enhanced, andsecure data transmission of the control information for the HVAC systemcomponents. Additionally, since the energy of the RF wireline guidedtransmission is primarily contained within the two-conductor wirelinestructure, spurious RF radiation is greatly reduced. Therefore, use ofthe RF wireline guided transmission is advantageous in that it allowshigher energy levels to be applied to the two-conductor wirelinestructure for an acceptable level of spurious or radiated transmissionnoise than may typically be allowed or otherwise accommodated by awireless transmission.

Additionally, use of a modulated RF wireline guided transmission allowsand accommodates greater amounts of control information to be conveyedfor the HVAC system components than would otherwise be provided by alower frequency transmission. In addition to providing higher datacapacity or transfer rates than lower frequencies, the RF wirelineguided transmission may also employ modulation schemes that aregenerally associated with wireless transmissions.

In various embodiments, signal transmission efficiency in transportingor conveying the RF wireline guided transmission over the two-conductorwireline structure is not a primary objective. Additionally, thetwo-conductor wireline structures discussed herein are generally notintended to convey RF power signals.

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary system 100 for communicating data. Thesystem 100 includes an equipment control unit 101 and a plurality ofsystem components 115, 116, 117. The plurality of system components 115,116, 117 may be, for example, a compressor, a furnace, and the like. Theequipment control unit 101 includes a remote controller 105, a centralcontroller 110, a two-conductor wireline structure 120, and anothertwo-conductor wireline structure 125. The two-conductor wirelinestructure 120 is coupled to the remote controller 105 and the centralcontroller 110. The two-conductor wireline structure 125 is coupled tothe central controller 110 and the plurality of system components 115,116, 117. In a typical embodiment, the equipment control unit 101 is,for example, a control network or system that communicates controlinformation between the plurality of system components 115, 116, 117,the remote controller 105, and the central controller 110.

The remote controller 105 is configured to provide control informationfor the plurality of system components 115, 116, 117. The centralcontroller 110 is configured to control the plurality of systemcomponents 115, 116, 117 based generally on control information providedby the remote controller 105. In some embodiments, the remote controller105 is located remotely from the central controller 110 and is connectedthereto by the two-conductor wireline structure 120. For example, theremote controller 105 can be located in a first room 104 of an enclosedspace 103 and the central controller 110 can be located in a second room106 of the enclosed space 103. Alternatively, the remote controller 105can be located outside of the enclosed space 103 and the centralcontroller 110 can be located in the first room 104 or the second room106 of the enclosed space 103 or even in an attic of the enclosed space103.

In various embodiments, the remote controller 105 includes a userinterface 130 such as, for example, a display that receives at leastsome of the control information via input from a user. In someembodiments, the user interface 130 provides additional functions suchas, for example, operational, diagnostic, status message display, and avisual interface that allows at least one of an installer, the user, asupport entity, and a service provider to perform actions with respectto the system 100. The remote controller 105 also includes a processor132 and a memory 134 that cooperates to provide the control informationfor transmission.

In some embodiments, the processor 132 and the memory 134 cooperate withthe user interface 130 to receive and generate the control information.The processor 132, the memory 134, and the user interface 130 can beconventional components of the remote controller 105 and providefunctionality in addition to providing the control information fortransmission. In some embodiments, the processor 132 may be amicroprocessor, controller, or any other suitable computing device,resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logicoperable to execute, either alone or in conjunction with othercomponents. Such functionality may include providing various featuresdiscussed herein. In particular embodiments, the processor 132 mayinclude hardware for executing instructions. As an example and not byway of limitation, to execute instructions, the processor 132 mayretrieve (or fetch) instructions from an internal register, an internalcache, a storage device; decode and execute them; and then write one ormore results to the internal register, the internal cache, or thestorage device.

In some embodiments, the memory 134 may be any form of volatile ornon-volatile memory including, without limitation, magnetic media,optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flashmemory, removable media, or any other suitable local or remote memorycomponent or components. In particular embodiments, the memory 134 mayinclude random access memory (RAM). This RAM may be volatile memory,where appropriate. Where appropriate, this RAM may be dynamic RAM (DRAM)or static RAM (SRAM). Moreover, where appropriate, this RAM may besingle-ported or multi-ported RAM, or any other suitable type of RAM ormemory. The memory 134 may store any suitable data or information,including software embedded in a computer readable medium, and/orencoded logic incorporated in hardware or otherwise stored (e.g.,firmware). In particular embodiments, the memory 134 may include mainmemory for storing instructions for the processor 132 to execute or datafor the processor 132 to operate on.

The two-conductor wireline structure 120 is configured to transport theRF wireline guided transmission containing the control information forthe plurality of system components 115, 116, 117. Additionally, thetwo-conductor wireline structure 120 may provide a power voltage to theremote controller 105. In some embodiments, transmission of the controlinformation may be on a response basis as initiated by the remotecontroller 105. In other embodiments, transmission of the controlinformation may be on a request basis as initiated by the centralcontroller 110. In either case, the RF wireline guided transmission isemployed on the two-conductor wireline structure 120. In someembodiments, the RF wireline guided transmissions between the remotecontroller 105 and the central controller 110 may be accomplished in,for example, a half-duplex transmission mode or a full-duplextransmission mode.

The remote controller 105, the central controller 110, and the pluralityof system components 115, 116, 117 each include at least one RF wirelinecommunicator 108. The RF wireline communicator 108 is configured togenerate the RF wireline guided transmission to send over thetwo-conductor wireline structures 120, 125. The RF wireline communicator108 is further configured to receive the control information andgenerate the RF wireline guided transmission based thereon. The RFwireline communicator 108 includes circuitry, software, or a combinationthereof configured to receive an input, such as the control information,generate an RF signal based thereon, and transmit the generated RFsignal on the two-conductor wireline structure 120. In a typicalembodiment, the RF wireline communicator 108 is, for example, anintegrated RF transceiver that receives the control information from atleast one of the processor 132, the memory 134, and the user interface130, and generates the RF wireline guided transmission. The RF wirelinecommunicator 108 can include, for example, a processor, an RFtransmitter and receiver, a digital to analog converter and an analog todigital converter. In one embodiment the RF wireline communicator 108employs a MKW01Z128 wireless transceiver available from FreescaleSemiconductor of Austin, Tex.

In some embodiments, the two-conductor wireline structure 120 generallyconsists of two insulated conductive wires that convey the RF wirelineguided transmission. In particular, the two-conductor wireline structure120 may employ a twisted pair of insulated conductive wires. Generally,the two-conductor wireline structure 120 may consist of any twoelectrical conductors that will transport an RF transmission containingcontrol information over a required distance while maintaining a desiredspurious, radiated transmission noise requirement for the RFtransmission.

The two-conductor wireline structure 125 may typically be more complex,than the two-conductor wireline structure 120, if it accommodates morethan one system component, as illustrated in FIG. 1A. The two-conductorwireline structure 125 is a two-conductor wireline “bus” structure thatconveys the RF wireline guided transmission to each of the plurality ofsystem components 115, 116, 117. In some embodiments, the RF wirelineguided transmission may be the same one received from the remotecontroller 105 that is forwarded by the central controller 110. In otherembodiments, the RF wireline transmission may be one generated by thecentral controller 110 that is either based on the control informationfrom the remote controller 105 or information that has been originatedby the central controller 110. The RF wireline guided transmissionbetween the central controller 110 and the plurality of systemcomponents 115, 116, 117 may be accomplished in, for example, ahalf-duplex or a full-duplex transmission mode. In another embodiment, amore conventional data bus (not shown) may be alternately employed toprovide the control information to the plurality of system components115, 116, 117.

In a typical embodiment, the data bus may include any combination ofhardware, software embedded in a computer readable medium, and/orencoded logic incorporated in hardware or otherwise stored (e.g.,firmware) to couple the plurality of system components 115, 116, 117 toeach other. As an example and not by way of limitation, the data bus mayinclude an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or other graphics bus, acontroller area network (CAN) bus, a front-side bus (FSB), aHYPERTRANSPORT (HT) interconnect, an INFINIBAND interconnect, alow-pin-count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a Micro Channel Architecture(MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a UniversalSerial Bus (USB), a PCI-Express (PCI-X) bus, a serial advancedtechnology attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics StandardsAssociation local (VLB) bus, RS-485, Ethernet, or any other suitable busor a combination of two or more of these. The data bus may include anynumber, type, and/or configuration of buses, where appropriate. Inparticular embodiments, one or more buses (which may each include anaddress bus and a data bus) may couple the central controller 110 to theplurality of system components 115, 116, 117. In other embodiments, theconnections between the plurality of system components 115, 116, may bewired. For example, conventional cable and contacts may be used tocouple the central controller 110 to the plurality of system components115, 116, 117.

In some embodiments, the remote controller 105 may be employed tomonitor or sense certain parameters corresponding to an environmentremote from the central controller 110 and the plurality of systemcomponents 115, 116, 117. In other embodiments, the remote controller105 may be employed to accept only manually entered information toprovide the control information. Additionally, the remote controller 105may monitor or sense certain parameters and require other manuallyentered data or information.

In a typical embodiment, the RF wireline guided transmissions operatesin the Ultra high frequency (UHF) range and includes a carrier signalhaving modulation that corresponds to the control information. In someembodiments, the modulation may be selected from the group comprising,for example, on-off keying, minimum-shift keying, frequency-shiftkeying, Gaussian frequency-shift keying, and the like. In otherembodiments, other types of modulation may be employed as appropriate toother applications. Additionally, license-free industrial, scientificand medical (ISM) frequency bands in the UHF range may be employed.

FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary system 100 for communicating data inaccordance with an alternate embodiment. In the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 1B, the remote controller 105 is integrated into the centralcontroller 110. The central controller 110 incorporating the remotecontroller 105 is configured to generate control information and controlthe plurality of system components 115, 116, 117 based generally on thecontrol information in similar fashion as discussed above relative toFIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary HVAC system 200 for communicating data.The HVAC system 200 includes a compressor unit 205, a furnace unit 210,and an enclosed space 212. The HVAC system 200 also includes a controlunit 215, a central controller 220, a two-conductor wireline structure225, and another two-conductor wireline structure 230. In someembodiments, the control unit 215 may be, for example, a thermostat ofthe HVAC system 200.

The compressor unit 205 is configured to provide cooling for theenclosed space 212 and the furnace unit 210 is configured to provideheating for the enclosed space 212. The thermostat 215 provides controlinformation corresponding to the enclosed space 212 and the centralcontroller 220 controls operation of the compressor and furnace units205, 210. In one embodiment, the thermostat 215 is a user interfacebetween the user and the HVAC system 200. As such, the thermostat 215can include a communications interface 213 configured to communicateinformation between the user and the HVAC system 200. The communicationsinterface 213 can include, for example, a display, buttons, a speaker, amicrophone, or another device configured to receive or provideinformation between the user and the HVAC system 200.

Additionally, the thermostat 215 can include a processor 214 and amemory 216 that cooperate to provide the control information fortransmission. The processor 214 and the memory 216 can be conventionalcomponents of the thermostat 215 and provide functionality in additionto providing the control information for transmission. The processor 214and the memory 216 can also cooperate with the communications interface213 to provide the control information. In a typical embodiment, theprocessor 214 may be a microprocessor, controller, or any other suitablecomputing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and/orencoded logic operable to execute, either alone or in conjunction withother components. Such functionality may include providing variousfeatures discussed herein. In particular embodiments, the processor 214may include hardware for executing instructions. As an example and notby way of limitation, to execute instructions, the processor 214 mayretrieve (or fetch) instructions from an internal register, an internalcache, a storage device; decode and execute them; and then write one ormore results to the internal register, the internal cache, or thestorage device. In some embodiments, the memory 216 may be any form ofvolatile or non-volatile memory including, without limitation, magneticmedia, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory(ROM), flash memory, removable media, or any other suitable local orremote memory component or components. In particular embodiments, thememory 216 may include random access memory (RAM). This RAM may bevolatile memory, where appropriate. Where appropriate, this RAM may bedynamic RAM (DRAM) or static RAM (SRAM). Moreover, where appropriate,this RAM may be single-ported or multi-ported RAM, or any other suitabletype of RAM or memory. The memory 216 may store any suitable data orinformation, including software embedded in a computer readable medium,and/or encoded logic incorporated in hardware or otherwise stored (e.g.,firmware). In particular embodiments, the memory 216 may include mainmemory for storing instructions for the processor 214 to execute or datafor the processor 214 to operate on.

As noted earlier, the control information generally includes controlcommands and measurement data or information that is pertinent to theenclosed space 212, in this case. Additionally, the control informationmay be directed or impacted by manual or wireless input to thethermostat 215. In one embodiment, the control information includestemperature setpoints, humidity set points, and environmental data ofthe air space 212, such as the dry-bulb temperature and the relativehumidity. In some embodiments, the control information also includesoperating data of equipment, such as motor speed.

The thermostat 215 and the central controller 220 each includes at leastone RF wireline communicator 218 that is configured to generate a RFwireline guided transmission to send over the two-conductor wirelinestructures 225, 230. In one embodiment, the RF wireline communicator 218receives the control information and generates the RF wireline guidedtransmission based thereon. The RF wireline communicator 218 includescircuitry, software, or a combination thereof configured to receive aninput, such as the control information, generate an RF signal basedthereon, and transmit the generated RF signal on the two-conductorwireline structure 225. The RF wireline communicator 218 can be anintegrated RF transceiver that receives the control information, such asfrom the processor, memory, or user interface, and generates the RFwireline guided transmission based thereon. In one embodiment, the RFwireline communicator 218 employs, for example, the Freescale MKW01Z128wireless transceiver.

The two-conductor wireline structure 225 is coupled to the thermostat215 and the central controller 220 and transports the RF wireline guidedtransmission containing the control information for at least one of thecompressor unit 205 and the furnace unit 210. The two-conductor wirelinestructure 225 can be coupled to the thermostat 215 and the centralcontroller 220 via RF wireline communicators, such as the RF wirelinecommunicator 218. In some embodiments, the RF wireline guidedtransmission includes a carrier signal having modulation thatcorresponds to the control information. In one embodiment, themodulation includes, for example, on-off keying, minimum-shift keying,frequency-shift keying and Gaussian frequency-shift keying. In otherembodiments, other types of modulation may be employed.

Generally, the two-conductor wireline structure 225 includes a pair ofinsulated conductive wires that transports RF wireline guidedtransmissions between the thermostat 215 and the central controller 220.In one embodiment, the pair of insulated conductive wires is a twistedpair of insulated conductive wires. Additionally, the two-conductorwireline structure 225 may provide a power voltage (e.g., a DC or 60Hertz AC voltage) to the thermostat 215 from the central controller 220.This power voltage may be provided for operation of the thermostat 215.

In this embodiment, the two-conductor wireline structure 230 is coupledto the central controller 220 and the compressor and furnace units 205,210 and transports either the RF wireline guided transmission from thethermostat 215 or another RF wireline guided transmission generated bythe central controller 220 for control of at least one of the compressorunit 205 and the furnace unit 210. As noted in FIG. 1A, thetwo-conductor wireline structure 230 is also a two-conductor wireline“bus” structure, although a single pair of insulated conductors may beemployed as appropriate for other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the RF wireline guided transmission may betransported over the two-conductor wireline structure 225 employing, forexample, a half-duplex transmission or a full-duplex transmissionbetween the thermostat 215 and the central controller 220. Thesecommunications accommodate an interchange where specific controlinformation or requirements may be requested and responded to betweenthe thermostat 215 and the central controller 220. Similarly, the RFwireline guided transmission may be transported over the two-conductorwireline structure 230 employing, for example, a half-duplextransmission or a full-duplex transmission. In some embodiments, controlcommands are transported from the central controller 220 to at least oneof the compressor unit 205 and the furnace unit 210, and operating datais conveyed from at least one of the compressor unit 205 and the furnaceunit 210 to the central controller 220.

In one embodiment of the two-conductor wireline structure 230, an RFwireline guided transmission containing the control information istransported over first and second sections of pressurized conductivetubing (e.g., copper tubing sections containing coolant for thecompressor unit 205). In another embodiment, a more conventional digitalor analog bus (not shown) may be alternately employed to provide controlinformation to the compressor unit 205 or the furnace unit 210.

In general, a higher RF operating range for RF wireline guidedtransmissions on the two-conductor wireline structures 225, 230 providesa greater capacity for control information to be achieved. In contrast,a lower RF operating range for the RF guided transmissions may providelower losses associated with attenuation and spurious RF radiation. Insome embodiments, the RF wireline guided transmissions operate in theUltra high frequency (UHF) range of approximately 300 MHz to 3 GHz andprovide control information rates of approximately 600 kilobaud overtwo-conductor wireline structures having up to 400 feet of 18 gaugewire. Additionally, the license-free industrial, scientific and medical(ISM) frequency bands that operate in the UHF range may beadvantageously employed.

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary HVAC system 200 for communicating datain accordance with an alternate embodiment. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 2B, the central controller 220 is configured toperform the functions of the control unit 215 illustrated in FIG. 2A. Inparticular, the central controller 220 generates control information andcontrols operation of at least one of the compressor unit 205 and thefurnace unit 210 based generally on the control information in similarfashion as discussed above relative to FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process 300 for controllingoperations of the HVAC system 200. For illustrative purposes, theprocess 300 will be described relative to FIGS. 2A-2B, The process 300starts at step 302. At step 304, current temperature of the enclosedspace 212 is measured. At step 306, a thermostat demand input isreceived. The thermostat demand input may be a demand for the HVACsystem 200 to condition the air within the enclosed space 212 to asetpoint temperature. For purpose of this patent application, a setpointtemperature refers to a target temperature setting of the HVAC system200 as set by the user or automatically based on a pre-defined schedule.For purpose of this patent application, a thermostat demand may be ademand for the HVAC system 200 to condition the air. For example, thethermostat demand may be a cooling demand or a heating demand. At step308, it is determined if the measured temperature (step 304) is equal toor is within an acceptable range such as, for example, 0.1 to 0.5degrees of the thermostat demand input (step 306). The acceptable rangecan be based on various factors such as, for example, a type of the HVACsystem, a model of the HVAC system, and the like. If it is determined atstep 308 that the measured temperature (step 304) is equal to thethermostat demand input (step 306) or is within the acceptable range ofthe thermostat demand input (step 306), the process 300 proceeds to step304.

However, if it is determined at step 308 that the measured temperature(step 304) is not equal to the thermostat demand input (step 306) or isnot within the acceptable range of the thermostat demand input (step306), the process 300 proceeds to step 310. At step 310, it isdetermined if the measured temperature (step 304) is greater than thethermostat demand input (step 306). If it is determined at step 310 thatthe measured temperature (step 304) is greater than the thermostatdemand input (step 306), the process 300 proceeds to step 312. At step312, control information for cooling the enclosed space 212 is forwardedto the compressor unit 205. In a typical embodiment, the controlinformation is conveyed via the RF wireline guided transmission that istransported over the two-conductor wireline structure 225, 230.

However, if it is determined at step 310 that the measured temperature(step 304) is lower than the thermostat demand input (step 306), theprocess 300 proceeds to step 314. At step 314, control information forheating the enclosed space 212 is forwarded to the furnace unit 210. Ina typical embodiment, the control information is conveyed via the RFwireline guided transmission that is transported over the two-conductorwireline structure 225, 230. From steps 312 and 314, the process 300proceeds to step 316. At step 316, current temperature of the enclosedspace 212 is measured again. At step 318, it is determined if themeasured temperature (step 316) is equal to the thermostat demand input(step 306) or is within the acceptable range of the thermostat demandinput (step 306). If it is determined at step 318 that the measuredtemperature (step 316) is not equal to the thermostat demand input (step306) and is not within the acceptable range of the thermostat demandinput of the thermostat demand input (step 306), the process 300proceeds to step 306. However, it is determined at step 318 that themeasured temperature (step 316) is equal to the thermostat demand input(step 306) or is within the acceptable range of the thermostat demandinput (step 306), the process 300 proceeds to step 304.

For purposes of this patent application, the term computer-readablestorage medium encompasses one or more tangible computer-readablestorage media possessing structures. As an example and not by way oflimitation, a computer-readable storage medium may include asemiconductor-based or other integrated circuit (IC) (such as, forexample, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or anapplication-specific IC (ASIC)), a hard disk, an HDD, a hybrid harddrive (HHD), an optical disc, an optical disc drive (ODD), amagneto-optical disc, a magneto-optical drive, a floppy disk, a floppydisk drive (FDD), magnetic tape, a holographic storage medium, asolid-state drive (SSD), a RAM-drive, a SECURE DIGITAL card, a SECUREDIGITAL drive, a flash memory card, a flash memory drive, or any othersuitable tangible computer-readable storage medium or a combination oftwo or more of these, where appropriate.

Particular embodiments may include one or more computer-readable storagemedia implementing any suitable storage. In particular embodiments, acomputer-readable storage medium implements one or more portions of theprocessor 320, one or more portions of the system memory, or acombination of these, where appropriate. In particular embodiments, acomputer-readable storage medium implements RAM or ROM. In particularembodiments, a computer-readable storage medium implements volatile orpersistent memory. In particular embodiments, one or morecomputer-readable storage media, embody encoded software.

In this patent application, reference to encoded software may encompassone or more applications, bytecode, one or more computer programs, oneor more executables, one or more instructions, logic, machine code, oneor more scripts, or source code, and vice versa, where appropriate, thathave been stored or encoded in a computer-readable storage medium. Inparticular embodiments, encoded software includes one or moreapplication programming interfaces (APIs) stored or encoded in acomputer-readable storage medium. Particular embodiments may use anysuitable encoded software written or otherwise expressed in any suitableprogramming language or combination of programming languages stored orencoded in any suitable type or number of computer-readable storagemedia. In particular embodiments, encoded software may be expressed assource code or object code. In particular embodiments, encoded softwareis expressed in a higher-level programming language, such as, forexample, C, Python, Java, or a suitable extension thereof. In particularembodiments, encoded software is expressed in a lower-level programminglanguage, such as assembly language (or machine code). In particularembodiments, encoded software is expressed in JAVA. In particularembodiments, encoded software is expressed in Hyper Text Markup Language(HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), or other suitable markuplanguage.

Depending on the embodiment, certain acts, events, or functions of anyof the algorithms described herein can be performed in a differentsequence, can be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., not alldescribed acts or events are necessary for the practice of thealgorithms). Moreover, in certain embodiments, acts or events can beperformed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing,interrupt processing, or multiple processors or processor cores or onother parallel architectures, rather than sequentially. Although certaincomputer-implemented tasks are described as being performed by aparticular entity, other embodiments are possible in which these tasksare performed by a different entity.

Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,”“may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, orotherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intendedto convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments donot include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, suchconditional language is not generally intended to imply that features,elements and/or states are in any way required for one or moreembodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logicfor deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether thesefeatures, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed inany particular embodiment.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features as applied to various embodiments, it will beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in theform and details of the devices or algorithms illustrated can be madewithout departing from the spirit of the disclosure. As will berecognized, the processes described herein can be embodied within a formthat does not provide all of the features and benefits set forth herein,as some features can be used or practiced separately from others. Thescope of protection is defined by the appended claims rather than by theforegoing description. All changes which come within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within theirscope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning(HVAC) system comprising: a control unit; a central controller coupledto the control unit via a twisted pair of insulated conductive wires; aplurality of HVAC system components coupled to the central controllervia a data bus structure; wherein the central controller is configuredto: receive, via the twisted pair of insulated conductive wires, controlinformation corresponding to an enclosed space; generate control data;transmit, via the data bus structure, the control data to at least oneof the plurality of HVAC system components to regulate operationsthereof, wherein the data bus structure is configured to transport aRadio Frequency (RF) guided wireline transmission containing the controldata between the central controller and the plurality of HVAC systemcomponents; and wherein the twisted pair of insulated conductive wiresare configured to transport the RF guided wireline transmissioncontaining the control information between the control unit and thecentral controller of the HVAC system.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe control information comprises at least one of current temperaturewithin the enclosed space, current humidity within the enclosed space, asetpoint temperature within the enclosed space, and a setpoint humiditywithin the enclosed space.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controlunit, the plurality of HVAC system components, and the centralcontroller each comprise at least one RF wireline communicator.
 4. Thesystem of claim 3, wherein the at least one RF wireline communicator isconfigured to generate the RF guided wireline transmission
 5. The systemof claim 3, wherein the at least one RF wireline communicator comprisesan RF transceiver.
 6. The, system of claim 1, wherein transmission ofthe control data is accomplished in at least one of a half-duplextransmission mode and a full-duplex transmission mode.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of HVAC system components comprise atleast one of a compressor and a furnace.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the twisted pair of insulated conductive wires are configured toprovide a power voltage to the control unit.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the control unit comprises a thermostat.
 10. The system of claim1, wherein the control unit is located in a location remote from thecentral controller.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unitis incorporated within the central controller.
 12. The system of claim1, wherein the RF guided wireline transmission operates in Ultra highfrequency (UHF) range.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the twistedpair of insulated conductive wires are configured to transport the RFguided wireline transmission containing the control information betweenthe control unit and the central controller of the HVAC system.
 14. Amethod of controlling operations of at least one of a plurality ofcomponents of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)system, the method comprising: receiving, by a controller via a twistedpair of insulated conductive wires, control information corresponding toan enclosed space, the control information comprising at least one of atemperature within the enclosed space and a setpoint temperature withinthe enclosed space; determining, by the controller, a temperaturedifference between the temperature within the enclosed space and thesetpoint temperature within the enclosed space; responsive to adetermination that the temperature difference between the temperaturewithin the enclosed space and the setpoint temperature within theenclosed space is greater than a predetermined acceptable range,generating, by the controller, control data; transmitting, by thecontroller via a data bus structure, the control data to the at leastone of the plurality of components of the HVAC system to regulateoperations thereof, wherein the data bus structure is configured totransport a Radio Frequency (RF) guided wireline transmission containingthe control data; and responsive to a determination that the temperaturedifference between the temperature within the enclosed space and thesetpoint temperature within the enclosed space is not greater than thepredetermined acceptable range, the control data is not transmitted. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein the twisted pair of insulated conductivewires are configured to transport the RF guided wireline transmissioncontaining the control information.
 16. The method of claim 14, whereinthe controller and the plurality of components of the HVAC each compriseat least one RF wireline communicator.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the at least one RF wireline communicator is configured togenerate the RF guided wireline transmission.
 18. The method of claim14, wherein the predetermined acceptable range is between 0.1° F. to0.5° F. of the setpoint temperature.
 19. The method of claim 14, whereinthe transmitting is accomplished in at least one of a half-duplextransmission mode and a full-duplex transmission mode.
 20. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the RF guided wireline transmission operates in Ultrahigh frequency (UHF) range.